WHAT HAPPENED: Tailback Trevor Etiennerushed for a career-high 172 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and shared the Saturday night spotlight with a gritty performance from the Florida defense, as the Gators upset 11th-ranked Tennessee 29-16 before a sold-out and lit "Swamp" crowd of 90,151 that marked the 12th-largest largest in Spurrier/Florida Field history. Etienne, the sophomore from Jennings, La., was the catalyst behind a UF offense that did just enough to out-score UT's vaunted fast-break attack, thanks to a Gators' defense that limited the Vols to one of their lowest-scoring outputs in their three-season resurgence under Coach Josh Heupel. Meanwhile, the coach on the Florida sidelines,Billy Napier, got his first signature Southeastern Conference victory and led the program to its first win in a league opener since 2020. UF quarterback Graham Mertz, the fourth-year transfer from Wisconsin, completed 19 of 24 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown, was not sacked and engineered an offense that did not turn the ball over. Mertz also scored on a 1-yard QB sneak and tailback Montrell Johnson Jr.had a 4-yard scoring run and caught Mertz's TD, an 18-yard screen pass. The Gators played a solid, mistake-free first half and led 26-7 at intermission, then held off a second-half charge by the Vols and quarterback Joe Milton III, the hotshot prospect from Pahokee, Fla., who transferred to UT two years ago from Michigan. Milton hit 20 of 34 attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns, but threw a huge first-half interception under duress (in the arms of 435-pound nose tackle Desmond Watson) and had a handful of empty possessions that were uncharacteristic of one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Milton threw a 55-yard scoring pass (the two-point try failed) to wideout Bru McCoy to close what was a 19-point halftime lead for the Gators to 13, at 29-16, with 8:41 to play. On the next UF possession, the Gators lined up on fourth-and-1 from their own 34, presumably to try and draw the Vols offside. They did. Defensive tackle Kurott Garland jumped, extending the Florida drive or another two and a half minutes before UF did UT a favor with a measly 24-yard punt with 3:49 to go. Milton immediately fired completions of 17, 11 and 14 yards to get the Vols to the Florida 25 with 2:51 left and a one-possession game was very much in the offing. Milton's next four passes, however, were fell incomplete, turning the ball over on downs and setting off a celebration in the "Swamp" that was a long time coming. UF finished with 349 yards of total offense, but was held to just 68 in the second half, compared to UT, which had 393 yards, with 271 in the second half. The Vols struck first, using a 41-yard Milton-to-Jaylen Wrightcompletion that was followed by an 11-yard touchdown from Milton to Ramel Keyton. The Gators, though, scored the next 26 points, starting with Etienne's electrifying 62-yard dash, and posted consecutive touchdown drives of 75, 82, 9 and 55 yards to take that 26-7 lead at the break.
Florida cornerback Devin Moore (28) returns a Joe Milton III interception 39 yards to set up a second-quarter touchdown. (Photo: Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
WHAT IT MEANS: This should squelch some of the angst among impatient Florida fans; at least temporarily. It'll feel nice for Napier to wake up Sunday morning tied for first place in the SEC East Division and with that winless-in-rivalry-games gorilla off his back. This is the Gators' first win in their conference opener since 2020, meaning they can dare to dream a little bit while they look to further the process under their second-year coach. This was a big step, but there's so much more growth out there. Some things, though, don't change, as Florida has now beaten Tennessee 17 of the last 19 games in the series, including 10 straight at home, dating to 2005.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Etienne's rushing total came on 23 attempts for an average of 7.5 per carry. He might be the best player on this team.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Tennessee's 16 points marked the third-fewest by the team during Heupel's three high-powered seasons. Georgia defeated UT 27-13 at home last year en route to its second national championship and the Gators defeated the Vols 38-14 in Gainesville in 2021. UT came to town averaging 44.0 points a game over Heupel's three seasons. It's time to start paying attention to what first-year defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is doing with this unit.
UP NEXT: Florida (2-1, 1-0) will step back out of conference with another night home game, that one against Charlotte (1-2), which got drilled by Georgia State 41-25 at home earlier Saturday night, surrendering 563 yards of total offense, including 461 through the air. The Gators and 49ers, who are in their first year in the American Athletic Conference after jumping from Conference USA, will play for the first time.
